1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lamp socket, and more particularly, to a lamp socket and a display device having the lamp socket.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is one form of a flat panel display that is now widely used. The LCD is provided with two substrates on which field-generating electrodes are formed, and a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the substrates. In the LCD, a voltage is applied to the electrodes to rearrange the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer, thereby controlling the quantity of transmitted light.
Since the LCD cannot emit light by itself, it may require a backlight assembly including a light source for supplying light to the LCD to display an image. The backlight assembly radiates light from a rear side of a LCD panel and serves as a surface light source for uniformly providing light throughout the LCD panel. Depending on the location the light source of supplying light to the LCD panel, the backlight assembly may be classified as either an edge-type backlight assembly or a direct-type backlight assembly. The direct-type backlight assembly provides a light source directly below the LCD panel, while the edge-type backlight assembly provides a light source at a lateral side of the LCD panel to transmit light throughout the LCD panel using a light guiding plate.
A lamp used as a light source may heat the LCD, and the heat generated from the lamp may expand the lamp itself or various functional elements of the LCD. When the lamp is turned off, the expanded lamp and/or the functional elements may undergo shrinkage. In such a manner, the lamp or and/or the functional elements may undergo repeated cycles of expansion and shrinkage. Accordingly, friction caused by the cycles may generate sound between the interconnected functional elements. This friction may, for example, be caused by undue flexing of elements of the LCD that are not intended to move. This undue flexing may eventually lead to breakage that may compromise the dependability of the LCD.
In particular, since the lamp and the leads formed at opposite ends of the lamp experience a sharp change in expansion and shrinkage ratios in the lengthwise direction of the lamp, the friction sound between the lamp and the lamp socket may be generated.